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A review by laynemandros
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
5.0
Review: Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
If you consider yourself a feminist (which, I think everyone should be) then you need to read this book. Kendall structures the book by splitting each chapter into a feminist issue. She covers topics that people might not consider to be ‘typical’ feminist issues like hunger, and housing insecurity, while also touching on topics that are generally seen as ‘feminist issues’ such as beauty standards and tackling the patriarchy. Kendall does an amazing job of highlighting how connected each issues is and how the American system works against women—especially Black women and women of color.
If I had to pinpoint a main idea that Kendall really drives home in this book it is intersectionality. Intersectionality has been on my mind a lot lately because it is pinnacle to the Black Lives Matter movement. White supremacy is one of the driving factors in mainstream feminism because the feminist movement has not largely been about the liberation of ALL women, it has mainly focused on liberation and equality for white women.
Kendall systematically and sharply identifies where the mainstream feminist movement has only benefitted white women. She weaves this narrative through multiple topics such as hunger, the hyper sexualization of Black women, education, housing, and so many others. She demonstrates how feminism is intimately intertwined with the BLM movement, because if your feminism is anit-Black then your feminism is contributing to white supremacy. If your feminism is anti-Trans then your feminism is contributing to efforts to oppress members of the LGBTQ+ movement. Feminism, at it’s core, needs to be about the liberation of all people, not just the liberation of white, cisgender, physically able, heterosexual women.
This collection of essays is powerful and was, for me, a call to action to interrogate my own ideologies towards feminism and actively question and push mainstream, white feminists around me to be more intersectional in their approach to equity and equality.
Read this book.
If you consider yourself a feminist (which, I think everyone should be) then you need to read this book. Kendall structures the book by splitting each chapter into a feminist issue. She covers topics that people might not consider to be ‘typical’ feminist issues like hunger, and housing insecurity, while also touching on topics that are generally seen as ‘feminist issues’ such as beauty standards and tackling the patriarchy. Kendall does an amazing job of highlighting how connected each issues is and how the American system works against women—especially Black women and women of color.
If I had to pinpoint a main idea that Kendall really drives home in this book it is intersectionality. Intersectionality has been on my mind a lot lately because it is pinnacle to the Black Lives Matter movement. White supremacy is one of the driving factors in mainstream feminism because the feminist movement has not largely been about the liberation of ALL women, it has mainly focused on liberation and equality for white women.
Kendall systematically and sharply identifies where the mainstream feminist movement has only benefitted white women. She weaves this narrative through multiple topics such as hunger, the hyper sexualization of Black women, education, housing, and so many others. She demonstrates how feminism is intimately intertwined with the BLM movement, because if your feminism is anit-Black then your feminism is contributing to white supremacy. If your feminism is anti-Trans then your feminism is contributing to efforts to oppress members of the LGBTQ+ movement. Feminism, at it’s core, needs to be about the liberation of all people, not just the liberation of white, cisgender, physically able, heterosexual women.
This collection of essays is powerful and was, for me, a call to action to interrogate my own ideologies towards feminism and actively question and push mainstream, white feminists around me to be more intersectional in their approach to equity and equality.
Read this book.